1. Read Judges 2:10. What surprises you about this verse?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
Who do you think was the best judge and why?
Who do you think was the worst judge and why?
3. Read Judges 6:7-10,13. When tragedy strikes our nation, we, like Gideon blame who?
According to the prophet in verses 7-10, what would God's answer be?
4. Look again at verse 6:13,31,32. What does that say good about Gideon's parents?
Now look at 6:25. What does that tell you bad about them?
Now read 13:8-12. What does that say good about Samson's parents?
Now read 14:1-5a. What does that tell you bad about them?
Now read Judges 18:18-20, 30. Together with the illustrations of Gideon and Samson's parents, what is going on with the people of Israel in regard to worship?
Read Luke 16:13. How are we guilty of this today?
5. Watch the following video clips and write next to them what episode in Judges they remind you of?
How did they get around them? (if they did)
Read Matt. 23:16-22. What were the Pharisees doing with oaths?
Read Matt. 5:33-37. What did Jesus say about oaths?
7. Religion is man working his way to try to get to God. Read about the Danites in Judges 18. What did they do to earn God's "favor"?
Christianity is God reaching down to man. Read the story of Boaz in Ruth and explain the symbolism of the kinsmen redeemer and how we get saved.
Notes to students/teachers.
Judges is about a book of cycles. The people rebel against God (they didn't have faith to drive the caananites out like God commanded so they intermarried, intermingled, combined their faiths and become evil), they are oppressed, they cry out to God, He has mercy on them, He sends a deliverer (judge), they are freed, they worship the Lord, the judge dies, they rebel... This happens 10 times but each cycle gets worse and the judge gets worse. Finally with Samson, the people were accepting their oppression and God had to pick a fight. (note the Israelites saying to Samson, "What are you doing?" and binding him and handing him over.)
Judges shows the evil that is inside all of us. That is why it is so important to train up our children in Godliness. It is amazing to me how many times Moses and Joshua instructed them to teach these things to their children, and 2 or 3 generations later the kids knew nothing about the great things God had done. In chapter 19 we see the depravity that exactly mirrored Sodom and Gomorrah, the main difference being the Benjaminites had a Godly heritage and S&G was pagan. If we get smug thinking there is anything good inside us besides Christ we only need to read Judges. God continually tries to make that point with Gideons army of 300, Samson's strength coming only because of his vow with God, and Abimelach and Sisera being killed by women.
There are many rabbit trails in these passages to follow, like Gideon's soft answer to the Ephraimites to turn away wrath as opposed to Jepthah's, Samson and dating/marrying non christians, putting out fleeces, oaths, etc. all of which are worth exploring further.
Lastly, the whole concept of religion vs. Christianity keeps showing up even into 1Samuel. People kept trying to win Gods favor by doing things - making vows, having your own personal priest, having religious relics/idols, etc but what God wants is admitting we are sinful and in desperate need of a savior. He sends us, like Boaz, a kinsmen redeemer. Notice Boaz, a man of power, wealth, respect , authority, comes into his field and takes on a gentile bride who has nothing but poverty and baggage to offer. He gives up evertyhting to marry her and then she is included in the line of Christ. That is Christianity. Ruth, knowing she was poor, submitted herself to the mercy of Boaz who redeemed her and married her and loved her.
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